All Minnesota Gubernatorial Candidates - Except Gov. Mark Dayton - Sign Statement in Support of Expanding the State's Medical Marijuana Law

Republican, Independence, Libertarian, and Grassroots party candidates support expanding the program to include approximately 33,000 seriously ill Minnesotans who were denied access to medical marijuana at the insistence of Gov. Dayton

ST. PAUL — A group of patients, family members, and advocates announced Thursday that every Minnesota gubernatorial candidate except for Gov. Mark Dayton has signed a statement in support of expanding the state’s medical marijuana law to include approximately 33,000 seriously ill Minnesotans who are currently being denied access to the program.

The statement, signed by Republican candidate Jeff Johnson, Independence candidate Hannah Nicollet, Libertarian candidate Chris Holbrook, and Grassroots candidate Chris Wright, expresses support for adding to the law all of the medical conditions and methods of administering medical marijuana that were approved by a bipartisan majority of the Minnesota Senate but left out of the final legislation at the insistence of Gov. Dayton.

Approximately 5,000 Minnesotans with debilitating medical conditions currently qualify for the medical cannabis program approved by Gov. Mark Dayton. Approximately 38,000 Minnesotans would have qualified for the more comprehensive version of the legislation approved in the Senate, including individuals suffering from intractable pain, nausea, wasting, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Gov. Dayton threatened to veto the Senate bill at the behest of law enforcement associations.

Statement from Shelly Olander of Brainerd, whose six-year-old son, Lincoln, suffers from a mitochondrial disease that causes severe nausea, vomiting, and wasting:

“I cannot think of one good reason why my son should be denied access to medical marijuana if it will help him keep his food down and his strength up. He would have qualified under the legislation approved in the Senate, but he was left behind after Gov. Dayton threatened to veto it. It’s comforting to know most of our candidates for governor would stand up for my son. If Gov. Dayton will not support expanding the medical marijuana program, my family and friends will not be voting to expand his time in office.”

Kari Olavson of Anoka, whose three-year-old son, Jacob, suffers from a severe epileptic disorder:

“I’m thankful that my son will qualify for the program, but I’m saddened that thousands of equally deserving people will not. It’s inexcusable that the current law excludes so many seriously ill Minnesotans who would benefit from medical marijuana. I cannot vote for a candidate who is unwilling to stand up for these patients and their families, and a I know a lot of others who feel the same.”

Patrick McClellan of Bloomington, who uses medical marijuana to treat symptoms of muscular dystrophy:

“Medical marijuana is an issue of compassion and common sense, not politics and partisanship. I voted for Gov. Dayton in 2010, in part because I thought he would do the right thing when it comes to issues involving healthcare. I never imagined he would stand in the way of legislation that would have helped tens of thousands of seriously ill Minnesotans. I haven’t decided who to vote for on Tuesday, but if the governor doesn’t support expanding the medical marijuana law, I won’t make the same mistake I did last time.”

Minnesotans for Compassionate Care (MCC) is a coalition of organizations, medical professionals, patients, and concerned citizens working to protect people with cancer, multiple sclerosis, HIV/AIDS, and other serious illnesses from arrest and imprisonment for using medical marijuana with their physicians’ advice. For more information visit http://www.MNcares.org.